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No shortcuts to hard work
After completing his MBA in marketing from KIIT School of Management in India, Ashish Tiwari worked with several giant brands, including Cadbury and Heinz.Alisha Sijapati
After completing his MBA in marketing from KIIT School of Management in India, Ashish Tiwari worked with several giant brands, including Cadbury and Heinz. Once moving to Nepal, he has been involved with the Ace Institute of Management since its inception in 1999. Currently serving as the principal at the business school, Tiwari remained a strong advocate for making business studies relevant to real-life situations and the corporate culture of Nepal. In this interview with the Post’s Alisha Sijapati, he muses on the current ecosystem of business education in Nepal and what needs to be done to bring it on-par with global standards. Excerpts:
How would you assess the current level of business studies in Nepal? What do you feel has to be done bring it on-par with international standards?
The business studies in Nepal has drastically improved over the past decade. We started Ace 17 years ago, and since its inception the environment has really blossomed. Back then, there were hardly any private schools offering an MBA and the number of skilled and confident graduates being produced was low as well. Today, a student has so many choices of schools and programmes to enrol in. But more than just the spike in the number of business schools, the quality of education has come a long way as well.
That being said, we still have a long way to go before we rub s houlders with the top business schools around the globe—-there is a long list of requirements that we need to fulfil. One thing that business schools need to keep in mind
is that they have to make the education being provided relevant to real life. By in large, education in our country is focused just on performance through grades, while how that performance translates into everyday life is ignored. As educators, we have to keep working on making education relevant. Ability to manage time, communicate, ability to write well—these are some of the things business schools have to incorporate into the coursework because that will play a big role in determining if their graduates succeed in the real world.
The culture of internships and working while studying is still evolving in Nepal, how do you value these in the overall development of a student, particularly a student of business studies?
The model of education in Nepal is very different than the West—where there is a strong culture of internships and working while studying. Here, parents remain more than willing to fund their children’s education, even up to graduate and post-graduate levels. So, naturally, working while studying is merely an option and not a necessity; and obtaining an education is the primary priority.
However, in the past decade or so, there is growing interest among the youth to fund their own education. This has mainly happened because they are increasingly exposed to cultures from around the world.
We now are among many colleges that operate evening MBA courses to cater to students who would want to work and pursue an education at the same time; and the programme’s demand has been growing. This culture is indeed beneficial for students because it gives them independence and they can bring work experiences to the classroom, which makes what is being taught more relevant to their daily lives. The experience also goes a long way when they are job-hunting later.
Students entering the corporate world need more than just a degree. As an educator, what qualities do you think students should look to cultivate while still in school?
Education has to go beyond just academic grades. Business education is not only about acquiring good grades; those are merely markers for how hardworking a student is. The focus has to shift to other fields like developing good work ethics. Good work ethics include simple things—being punctual, disciplined, self-driven and self-motivated. These aren’t difficult things to acquire. Another valuable asset is communication skills—you may have fantastic ideas but if you can’t share it, it is useless. Another key aspect is focusing on building management skills. If you cannot connect yourself and empathise with other people, you cannot be a good manager, leader or an entrepreneur.
What comparative advantages do students of business have compared to other academic degrees?
An MBA is not a magic wand—it is a rigorous degree that requires utmost dedication and drive if you are to really succeed in the future. An MBA doesn’t make you a master of one particular area of specialisation, but one thing it will do is it will transform the student. MBA is like an overall development of a person. Your ability to communicate, think and perceive things will change. In our institute, learning happens through interaction and continues even outside the classroom. The constant interaction helps with the acquisition of knowledge. I believe students grow gradually from hard work and constant interaction. MBA students, because of the nature of the education, graduate by engaging themselves in meaningful discussion, being good listeners and looking at situation in different ways. MBA programmes are also steeped in the culture of practical case studies that look at real life situations, which helps root the education to the here and now.
But perhaps the biggest advantage of being a business student is that you will fit into almost any organisation, as most organisation are in want of managerial oversight, and in turn, always have room for business graduates.
What advice do you have for fresh graduates looking to enter the jobs market?
There are no shortcuts to hard work. The transformation doesn’t happen all by itself; keep in mind that you have to do what you are actually supposed to do. So, set your priorities straight and keep on improving on whatever you are doing. Virtue of hard work is something I deeply believe in.
Along with hard work, you also have to stay humble and continue to evolve throughout your entire career. Constantly invest in developing yourself further, whether it is being a better communicator or a more efficient manager. But most of all; have good work ethics. At the end of the day, it’s your work ethics that will determine how far you go in life.